Guest Policy

Continuing with the fact that BSC is a club based on being a collection of members, it follows on that the club is not open to the general public. As a private club, anyone wishing to join and become a regular participant in BSC must be proposed and seconded by existing members. They should be able to vouch for the applicants to ensure that they will abide by our primary club objectives the promotion and encouragement of sailing and the social re-union of our members. Members then pay annual subscriptions which fund these objectives and each year the Main Committee aims to ensure that we cover our costs and have a small surplus that we can reinvest in whatever needs we have ahead of the next season.

Although we are a private club, there are instances where we allow guests to be invited in, for example to have a drink in the bar. Members are entitled to invite guests to the club but there is a limit of 4 guests per occasion. All guests must sign the visitors book in the clubhouse on arrival and it is the member's responsibility to ensure their guests do so. The member is also responsible for the conduct of their guests on our premises.

For club sailing activities, anybody wishing to try out sailing as a helm or crew (in one of our adult training courses, club racing or fun sails for example) must request and be assigned Temporary Membership status. Temporary membership is different from Guest status because it provides us all with the necessary club insurance cover. Assigning Temporary Membership status can only be done in conjunction with the Main Committee and without it, there is both an insurance and a legal risk against the club in the event of an incident. The Main Committee does delegate the authority to assign Temporary Membership to Adult and Junior training organisers. Consequently, Guests are not permitted to take part in club sailing activities without the prior approval of the Main Committee or those with delegated authority. In light of recent court decisions involving participation in club events by non-members, we are unable to provide any flexibility in this matter.

So, if you wish to take a Guest out onto the water on your own boat during club sailing activities, you must obtain Temporary Membership for them in advance. This is not granted by default and members are expected to use this option sparingly and as a pathway to attracting potential new member applications.

That aside, if you have friends and family that are interested in sailing and becoming members, we would love to hear from you. We are fortunate to have a very active Adult and Junior training programme and are always keen to welcome new members into the club.

Last updated 16:24 on 17 April 2024